Coffee Might Be Expanding Your Waistline

Your coffee habit might be making you fat.

I love a good cup of morning joe. No, I am not talking about a third rate crappy news show. A cup of coffee is a staple part of breakfast around the globe. America’s appetite for caffeinated drinks has led to the success of multiple coffee franchises. Coffee is a healthy addition to your diet in many ways, and I have written several articles on it over the years. Unfortunately, coffee might be adding to America’s obesity epidemic, but the problem is not coffee. Instead, the problem is likely what you are adding to it.

There is nothing quite as refreshing on a hot summer afternoon or evening than a cold blended coffee drink. I, personally, feel that blended coffees increase my energy and allow me to finish my workday. Purchases of frappe type drinks have exploded over the past five years. The problem is that they are full of calories and they are pretty much a milkshake with coffee added. Allow me to illustrate the problem.

Drink

Chain

Size (oz)

Calories

Fat

Carbs

Sugar

Protein

Exercise (min)

Mocha Coolata

Dunkin' Donuts

24

799

41

109

96

7

222

Mocha Frappucino

Starbucks

24

520

17

84

80

7

141

Mocha Frappe

McDonalds

22

670

26

97

88

11

175

Mocha MooLatte

Dairy Queen

24

930

35

144

126

16

258

Mocha Frappe

Burger King

24

600

24

90

60

4.5

166

This table has a list of coffee drinks and their nutrient content. The last column is the minutes of walking required for a 144-pound female to burn the calories in the drink.

I found an excellent observational study that looked at almost 3,000 purchases at Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts in New York City. They found that customers averaged 63 calories for tea or coffee purchase and 238 calories for blended drinks. This means that the purchaser of a blended drink drank over 1/10 of the daily recommended caloric intake, assuming a 2,000 calorie per day diet. From the chart above, you can see many of the drinks listed are much worse and may be as high as half of the daily calorie intake.

The bottom line: Blended coffees, lattes, iced coffees, and cappuccinos can have deceptively high-calorie counts. I recommend that you drink your coffee black. If you must add something to it, consider skim-milk and low-sugar syrups. If you must have a frappe, remember you will have a large calorie excess to make up for.

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About the Author

I am a family physician who has served in the US Army. In 2016, I found myself overweight, out of shape, and unhealthy, so I made a change to improve my health. This blog is the chronology of my path to better health and what I have learned along the way.

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About Me

ChuckH

Walking off pounds one step at a time

I am a family physician who has served in the US Army. In 2016, I found myself overweight, out of shape, and unhealthy, so I made a change to improve my health. This blog is the chronology of my path to better health and what I have learned along the way. Read More…